Jack-O-Lantern Lepto Bleaching and receding!

[BigJohnny]

Hey guys,

Picked this up at macna 2015 a little while ago along with a ton of other frags (including many sps). This is the only one that's struggling!

It was doing great for a while, growing and staying fully colored, but then it started bleaching and stayed that way for a while. Now it's starting to recede on the edges and show its skeleton! I moved it into a little partial shade but it hasn't helped. It's already on the sandbed so the only thing I could do lightwise is literally put it in full shade. Any thoughts? It's not getting too much flow.

Params are:

Temp: 78
pH: 8.0-8.25
Salinity: 35ppt/1.026 S.G.
Nitrate: 4 ppm
Phosphate: .02 ppm
Alkalinity: 9.0 dkH
Calcium: 430 ppm

I keep everything very stable. There is a small amount of Red cyano on one side of the frag plug but it hasn't grown onto the coral and has been there the whole time. Any thoughts? Suggestions on a course of action?

I got a great deal on this and really love it so I don't want to have to buy a new one for full price that's only half the size [emoji53].

Thanks!

When it was doing well and had grown around the sides of the plug:

A week or two ago:

Today:

 

[heathlindner25]

Maybe something stung it?
Any Alk swings?

 

[Keoki18]

Is there anything you changed? do differently? The cyano as you said is not the problem, its just using the free space as the coral dies back. Receding on the edges sounds like an Alk fluctuation to me.

 

[BigJohnny]

Maybe something stung it?
Any Alk swings?

No alk swings at all, nothing in range to sting.

 

[BigJohnny]

Is there anything you changed? do differently? The cyano as you said is not the problem, its just using the free space as the coral dies back. Receding on the edges sounds like an Alk fluctuation to me.

Nope, zilch, nada. Haven't had any alk fluctuations and if I had my most sensitive corals would have responded, this is supposedly very hardy.

 

[BigJohnny]

It's getting worse.....[emoji53]

Regardless of what caused it, any ideas on a course of action?

 

[Keoki18]

Trim away the receding tissue. I would cut around the growth ring to prevent the possibility of further necrosis.

This being said, is it just necrosing from the edges or is it all over at this point?

 

[BigJohnny]

Trim away the receding tissue. I would cut around the growth ring to prevent the possibility of further necrosis.

This being said, is it just necrosing from the edges or is it all over at this point?

Just the edges, the living tissue is pale/bleached which actually was the first thing that happened before the receding. You think I should cut out the middle? Will that really prevent it from receding further?

 

[BigJohnny]

Here are fresh pics

 

[BigJohnny]

 

[Keoki18]

no, not the middle. trim the edges if possible.

 

[BigJohnny]

no, not the middle. trim the edges if possible.

Thats what i meant. I said cut out the middle, which would be the same thing as trimming off the edges so only the middle remains. You sure it won't just kill the coral from extra stress?

 

[cloak]

Before you do anything drastic, have you thought about giving it an iodine dip first? (Lugol's) Maybe this will stop the bleeding so to say.

Beautiful coral btw. I had my eye on one at the last frag swap here in town. I decided to pass, but after seeing yours I'm really regretting it. I hope it gets better for you.

 

[BigJohnny]

Before you do anything drastic, have you thought about giving it an iodine dip first? (Lugol's) Maybe this will stop the bleeding so to say.

Beautiful coral btw. I had my eye on one at the last frag swap here in town. I decided to pass, but after seeing yours I'm really regretting it. I hope it gets better for you.

I have thought of that but didn't think it would do anything, plus I don't have any iodine based dips (probably should).

Thanks man, it was beautiful......hoping it recovers. Normally you get a joke of a frag for like 70 n up but I got this for 40 and it's a full 1.5 inches. Gotta love macna! I just don't know what happened. Leptos are supposed to be really hardy. I know they are found deep in nature and prefer low light n flow, but plenty of people keep them in more intense conditions so I don't think its that. Who knows, rough.

If I can get some iodine dip tomorrow ill do that and give it a day to see if it improves. Otherwise I'll cut away the edges because I doubt this will end well otherwise and I fear I'm running out of time.

 

[Keoki18]

Thats what i meant. I said cut out the middle, which would be the same thing as trimming off the edges so only the middle remains. You sure it won't just kill the coral from extra stress?

Ah, yes. either... or... both... all the same. This shouldn't kill a coral like lepto. I have had success doing this with oxys and leptos in the past. This is always my first response, followed by dipping after a few days after clipping.

Hope everything works out.

 

[BigJohnny]

Ah, yes. either... or... both... all the same. This shouldn't kill a coral like lepto. I have had success doing this with oxys and leptos in the past. This is always my first response, followed by dipping after a few days after clipping.

Hope everything works out.

Ok so I clipped off all the edges that were receding, then dipped in lugols iodine for 15 mins. I used 10 drops/ .25 gallons, does that seem right? Only instructions I could find were online and for old branded ugols (mine is brightwell lugols but I assume it's the same). It said as a dip use 40 drops/gallon. Some people seem to use a much darker/heavier concentration however.

 

[Fishmommy]

Mine really responded to nitrate dosing. Was looking thin and bleached but now is fat and bright again.

 

[cloak]

What's "nitrate dosing?" Feeding more than usual or not picking up the pieces regardless?

 

[Fishmommy]

Deliberately raising nitrate above zero through addition of in my case potassium nitrate.
What does your nitrate level read?

 

[cloak]

Oh ok. Potassium nitrate. That's what I was looking for. Deliberately raising your nitrates seemed kind of odd to me, but I guess you've found a chemical way to get things done.
As far as my nitrates go, who knows, but everything looks ok. I think the last time I checked it was about two months ago at the LFS. They were using an API test kit and it looked pretty yellow.